Taobao Villages

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said on December 7 that it has nominated 2,100 new Taobao Villages, with e-commerce centers set to appear in many of China’s rural areas for the first time this year.

These Taobao Villages feature Alibaba’s logistics, service and training in an effort to encourage farmers to become involved in online retailing.

To be nominated as a Taobao Village, Alibaba requirements stipulate total annual e-commerce transactions of over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) and more than 100 online stores located in the village.

On December 7 at the National Forum on Taobao Villages held in Heze, east China’s Shandong Province, Alibaba said that Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces boast the highest number of Taobao Villages, together accounting for 68 percent of the total.

In 2017, Taobao Villages appeared for the first time in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipality, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as well as Guizhou, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

Gao Hongbing, Vice President of Alibaba, said there are 100 Taobao Villages in just the rural area administered by the city of Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, the largest cluster of Taobao Villages in the country.

The development of Taobao Villages has helped lift many rural areas out of poverty through encouraging the online sale of farm produce and local specialties.